The key difference between ionic and electrostatic interactions is that ionic interactions describe the attraction force between two opposite ionic species. Meanwhile, electrostatic interactions describe the attraction force between two completely or partially ionized species with opposite charges.
Ionic and electrostatic interactions are very important chemical concepts that are helpful in determining the buildup of molecules. These are also named as non-covalent bonds. Covalent chemical bonds form due to electron sharing between atoms. But, non-covalent bonds form due to the attraction of charged species that has opposite electrical charges.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Ionic Interactions
3. What are Electrostatic Interactions
4. Side by Side Comparison – Ionic vs Electrostatic Interactions in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What are Ionic Interactions?
Ionic interactions are ionic bonds where two oppositely charged ionic species electrostatically attract each other. It is a type of non-covalent bond. Moreover, it involves completely charged chemical species (not partially charged species). This is the primary type of chemical bonding that occurs in ionic compounds.
Ions are atoms or group of atoms that have either gained or removed electrons; this makes them electrically charged species. Anions and cations are the two types of ions. Anions formed due to electron gaining while cations are formed due to electron removing. Therefore, anions are negatively charged due to the presence of excess electrons while cations are positively charged due to the lack of electrons to neutralize the charge of protons.
An ionic bond forms when the electron removed from an atom (or a group of atoms) in order to form a cation is obtained by another atom (or group of atoms), which leads to the formation of an anion. In the simplest sense, an ionic bond forms when an electron is removed from a metal, and a nonmetal catches this electron to form an anion.
Figure 01: Formation of an Ionic Bond
However, all ionic bonds have some degree of covalent characteristics because no atom can completely remove an electron. Therefore, we should understand that the term ionic interaction refers to the moment where the ionic character is greater compared to the covalent character.
Almost all ionic compounds are solid compounds because the ionic interactions are strong enough to hold the anions and cations bound together tightly. However, molten ionic compounds can conduct electricity because it has ions that can carry charges. Moreover, the high strength of ionic interactions leads the ionic compounds to have very high melting points.
What are Electrostatic Interactions?
Electrostatic interactions are a type of attraction forces in which complete or partially ionic species are attracted to each other. Further, this term includes both attractive and repulsive forces between ionic species, i.e. oppositely charged ions are attracted to each other while the same charges repel from each other. These are also named as non-covalent bonds because the attraction force does not include any electron sharing between atoms. There are three different types of electrostatic interactions: ionic interactions, hydrogen bonding and halogen bonding.
Figure 02: Hydrogen Bonding is a Type of Electrostatic Interaction
Ionic interaction includes the attraction force between completely ionized chemical species having opposite charges, e.g. anions attract cations. These interactions cause the formation of ionic compounds. These interaction forces are very strong; therefore, ionic compounds exist in the solid-state. Hydrogen bonding is another type of electrostatic interaction where we can observe a dipole-dipole interaction. This attraction exists between a hydrogen atom (which is partially positive) and a highly electronegative atom (which is partially negative). Moreover, halogen bonding is also like hydrogen bonding, but the difference is the interaction that exists between a halogen and an electrophile.
What is the Difference Between Ionic and Electrostatic Interactions?
Ionic interactions and electrostatic interactions are non-covalent chemical bonds. These are very important in describing the formation of different molecules. The key difference between ionic and electrostatic interactions is that ionic interactions describe the attraction force between two opposite ionic species, whereas electrostatic interactions describe the attraction force between two completely or partially ionized species with opposite charges.
Below infographic summarizes the difference between ionic and electrostatic interactions.
Summary – Ionic vs Electrostatic Interactions
Ionic interactions and electrostatic interactions are non-covalent chemical bonds. These are very important in describing the formation of different molecules. The key difference between ionic and electrostatic interactions is that ionic interactions describe the attraction force between two opposite ionic species, whereas electrostatic interactions describe the attraction force between two completely or partially ionized species with opposite charges.
Reference:
1. Helmenstine, Anne Marie. “Ionic Bond Definition.” ThoughtCo, Jan. 26, 2019, Available here.
2. Helmenstine, Anne Marie. “Chemistry Definitions: What are Electrostatic Forces?” ThoughtCo, Oct. 5, 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Ionic bonding” By EliseEtc / vectorised from Ionic bonding.png – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Hydrogen-bonding-in-water-2D” (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia